Expertise for Innovative Military IT Security

secunet is one of Germany's leading providers of superior IT security. In close dialogue with its customers – armed forces, public authorities, enterprises and international organisations – secunet develops and implements high-performance products and state-of-the-art IT security solutions. Thus, secunet not only keeps IT infrastructures secure for its customers, but also achieves intelligent process optimisation and creates sustainable added value.

At secunet, more than 350 experts focus on issues such as cryptography (SINA), e-government, business security and automotive security aiming always to be one step ahead of competitors in terms of quality and technology. secunet emphasises on long-term relationships with its customers in an atmosphere based on partnership, as demonstrated by our successful security relationship with the Federal Republic of Germany which has been active since 2004.

Expertise for Innovative Military IT Security - 13/09/2017

Iceland turns to the secunet PKI solution

Electronic travel documents in Iceland will soon be authenticated using a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) by secunet. Following the contract award from the Registers Iceland in May of this year, the system will be used from Q4 2017 for inspecting and issuing identity documents.

Border controls at airports can be carried out more efficiently using electronic identity documents. Highly secure, certificate-based authentication solutions are used as a means of reliably checking the authenticity of documents, and for preventing manipulation and unauthorised access. A Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is required to generate and manage certificates, and in future Iceland will work with the secunet eID PKI Suite to provide this type of cutting-edge border control infrastructure. The system is also used to issue electronic passports.

The contract covers delivery and configuration of the secunet eID PKI Suite and supply of Hardware Security Modules, as well as installation and configuration of the entire system. System service and maintenance for the next few years are also included.

The project will kick off with the supply of core components for the national PKI, consisting of Country Signing Certification Authority (CSCA), Country Verifying Certification Authority (CVCA) and Document Verifying Certification Authority (DVCA).

In order to allow inspection of travel documents from different countries, a National Public Key Directory (N-PKD) will then be set up for the management and provision of basic information needed to verify the authenticity of electronic travel documents. The N-PKD forms the national counterpart to the Public Key Directory (PKD) of the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation), which provides information needed for global interoperability between electronic passports. A Single Point of Contact (SPOC) will be provided in the course of the project, as a communication interface for the exchange of certificates on an international level.

Together, these elements create a high-performance background system for issuing, managing and checking official documents. There is also an option to expand the system by adding components, such as a PKI for eID and eSign functions for the planned national identity card.

In addition to PKI solutions, secunet also offers other tools for border control infrastructures. For example, secunet eGates - automated border control systems which reduce entry and exit times - have been in use at Keflavik Airport in Iceland since this summer. The product range also includes secunet biomiddle, a biometric middleware, as well as client solutions for inspection of electronic identity documents at border control. secunet border control systems and the eID PKI Suite are in use in Germany and beyond, including Latvia, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, and Czech Republic.